New Delhi: Expressing concern over reports of farmers starting burning stubble, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has written a letter to Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar, urging him to scale up the use of a low-cost technology to deal with the annual problem.
"Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) scientists have developed a chemical that decomposes stubble and turns it into manure. There is no need for farmers to burn stubble," Kejriwal said in the letter.
Experts at the institute have developed what they call "decomposer capsules".
Just four capsules can be used to prepare 25 litres of a solution, using some jaggery and chickpea flour, enough to cover one hectare of land.
"Scientists say stubble burning reduces soil fertility by killing the good bacteria present in it. But if the crop residue can be turned into manure, the use of fertilizers can be reduced," the letter read.
Kejriwal said this method can be a good solution to the problem of stubble-burning and the city government is going to use it at a large scale to ensure there are "absolutely no farm fires" in the national capital.
He recommended Delhi’s neighbouring states should be encouraged to use it as much as possible.
Kejriwal acknowledged the Centre and states' efforts to reduce stubble burning but said the focus has been on crop residue management through machinery.
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"The Centre has been providing subsidy on farm equipment, still farmers are required to spend a lot of money from their own pocket," he said. There are a lot of farmers who do not have machines to manage crop residue. They burn it instead. This method (decomposer capsules) can reduce the use of fertilizers and increased crop production, which is a win-win situation for farmers, he said.
The chief minister also sought time from the Union minister to discuss the issue with him.
Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh attract attention during the paddy harvesting season between October 15 and November 15.
Farmers set their fields on fire to quickly clear off the crop residue left behind after harvesting and before cultivating wheat and potato. It is one of the main reasons for the alarming spike in pollution in Delhi-NCR.
(with input from agencies)
